My biggest impression so far - how many freaking loads can they have per area? Holy cow. So far it seems a lot worse to me than any game I can think of in recent memory. I am actually pretty shocked with the shear number of loads.

I think I will enjoy the game but I am really starting to sense a "Black and White" type situation. Early hype is "Oh it is the second coming!" then a few weeks later actual reviews come out and start pointing out the flaws.

Then I got scared going into the room where Breen gives the APB on Freeman and I took a break.

I do like this game but I really don't think it's the Second Coming like most people are making it out to be. The graphics, animations, and environment interactions are sweet. I just don't find myself HAVING to play to the next level like I did with NOLF. Sometimes I feel like I'm on a rail and I miss the open-endedness of Far Cry.

...it also comes with arguably one of the best internet multiplayer games ever made: Counterstrike.

Half Life 2 could have easily been a separate product and Valve deserves kudos for giving CS away with it. Even if the initial CS mod was free....the game doesn have serious market value based on its market share alone.

I'm up to the beginning of chapter 7. Holy cow the game gets freaky. Anybody remember "They Hunger"? Did they hire that mod maker to work on this game?

There's been some extremely tense lack of ammo moments. Forget the original Doom. This game freaking mobs you.

Pure insanity. This game really is a roller coaster from start to finish. Remember the moment where Black Mesa first started to go crazy? This game keeps throwing those type of moments at you....I can't believe how insane it gets.

This post contains very very very mild spoilers about possible weapon choice. Not much else.

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I saved ammo through the "They Hunger" style parts of the game by sticking with the gravity gun. There's lots of large objects laying around, and a reasonable supply of very re-usable saw-blades to hurl with it as well.

It's damned cool when you slice 3 headcrab-people thingies in half all in one shot.

I'm up to the beginning of chapter 7. Holy cow the game gets freaky. Anybody remember "They Hunger"? Did they hire that mod maker to work on this game?

There's been some extremely tense lack of ammo moments. Forget the original Doom. This game freaking mobs you.

Pure insanity. This game really is a roller coaster from start to finish. Remember the moment where Black Mesa first started to go crazy? This game keeps throwing those type of moments at you....I can't believe how insane it gets.

Agreed! This is WAY TOO INTENSE. Just got out of the (spoiler alert)................tunnel with the friggin sawblades. I could barely stand it!

This post contains very very very mild spoilers about possible weapon choice. Not much else.

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I saved ammo through the "They Hunger" style parts of the game by sticking with the gravity gun. There's lots of large objects laying around, and a reasonable supply of very re-usable saw-blades to hurl with it as well.

It's damned cool when you slice 3 headcrab-people thingies in half all in one shot.

Yeah, I used the gravity gun a ton but I was never able to use it on the "runners"(do they have a new name, I can't remember?) and those fat lumbering bastards. There's not enough time. So I'd end up with the shotgun and they're so fast that I'd miss a bunch or end up wasting a shotgun blast. Every other gun is useless. Really fun area though. And that part of the story is equally hilarious to me because of your 'guardian angel'. He's a real badass that I hope to see again(HL3?).

Install took a long time, but it worked without incident. I've played about two hours and while it's fun, it's not hooking me like HL1 did, or Doom 3 for that matter. I was more in awe of D3 than this one. I don't know what's going one, where I am, or what year it is, let alone who the Gman is and I feel like I'm just going through the motions. Hopefully it picks up for me as I go along.

Honestly, you couldn't really tell what was happening in HL1 either, you just sort of pieced it together.

*BIG SPOILER!*

I had my first G-man spotting. It was on one of the areas with the buggy inside a house. I looked through a combine spying device/telescope and saw him meeting up with resistance members up ahead. It's kinda hard to make him out, but once you see the suitcase that he always carries, you know its him.

I've got people urging me to get to the roof ASAP, and when it gets REALLY INTENSE, up pops "LOADING" in the middle of my screen for 30+ seconds.

Sheesh, what a mood spoiler....

i had that same reaction there, but it hasn't happened again yet. every load i've come across since has occurred in a pretty benign area...usually right in front of a door, or as you're walking down an empty hallway.

and a neat little trick i found...did you guys try playing with the little teleporter in dr kleiner's lab at the beginning (one that teleports a plant)? i went to hit the button once and accidentally picked up the plant. that gave me an idea...will it teleport other objects? sure enough...i started putting other objects from around lab on the teleporter and it beamed them back and forth just like the plant. pretty cool

Honestly, you couldn't really tell what was happening in HL1 either, you just sort of pieced it together.

*BIG SPOILER!*

I had my first G-man spotting. It was on one of the areas with the buggy inside a house. I looked through a combine spying device/telescope and saw him meeting up with resistance members up ahead. It's kinda hard to make him out, but once you see the suitcase that he always carries, you know its him.

It seems that he's on our side, for now.

Has anyone else seen the G-man?

I've spotted him twice now, once through a window watching me before he turned away, and then again during the airboat sequence. Just after a tough and very explosive fight (deliberate vagueness) when I was poking around at one of the buildings near a dam I saw him across the water channel going around a corner.

Honestly, you couldn't really tell what was happening in HL1 either, you just sort of pieced it together.

*BIG SPOILER!*

I had my first G-man spotting. It was on one of the areas with the buggy inside a house. I looked through a combine spying device/telescope and saw him meeting up with resistance members up ahead. It's kinda hard to make him out, but once you see the suitcase that he always carries, you know its him.

It seems that he's on our side, for now.

Has anyone else seen the G-man?

I've spotted him twice now, once through a window watching me before he turned away, and then again during the airboat sequence. Just after a tough and very explosive fight (deliberate vagueness) when I was poking around at one of the buildings near a dam I saw him across the water channel going around a corner.

I saw him on the dam as well, I didn't see him that other time you mention, BUT I saw him another time during the airboat sequence in a blink and you'll miss it moment. He was above on one of the catwalks looking down as I raced past with missles on my tail. I'm not rushing through the game, but I'm not taking my time and experimenting precisely so I can do that the second time(I wanna search the outskirts of some of those airboat areas too). Now I also can play 'spot the Gman', and I already can't wait to restart.

I don't know what's going one, where I am, or what year it is, let alone who the Gman is and I feel like I'm just going through the motions. Hopefully it picks up for me as I go along.

Don't know who the Gman is? Are you sure you played HL1?

You can figure out what's going on by paying attention in the first 15 minutes. Talk to people, listen to the propaganda videos, etc.

I thought I was. I always take my time in games, just I really drop the ball on this one? **POSSIBLE SPOILERS**

I figure there's a resistance and some how I've found it, but what's happened to the world? Why is Freeman there? Did they explain that and I just totally blew it?

No, they didn't explain it, and I think if you're looking for concrete answers you might be disappointed. However I enjoy the fact that basically Gordon is a pawn and will constantly be encountering obstacles that he has not been prepared for. Everyone takes your questions for granted ingame because they live there. And trust me, you won't get any time to sit around and get caught up to speed. They probably would have explained stuff to you, but everything just went FUBAR with your arrival.

Okay, I was able to get it loaded, authenticated, and started. And man oh man. First Far Cry, then Doom3, and now this. I don't know if I can take much more. The attention to detail is remarkable. And by far, these are the best people in a pc game EVER. Their movements, actions, facial expressions, and perfect lip syncing. Very very well done. And to think it will only get better from here. Note to self, start saving now for that new rig for the next gen of pc games.

I am not very far (just got the machine gun), but I am loving it. Hope it is a long game.

I had one lock up and had to close the game and restart, but other than that it runs quite nice. And I don't have a monster rig or anything. P4 2.6, 1g RAM, and FX5900u Nvidia. Midrange I would say. At 10x7 with no antialiasing and everything at high, it runs good enough for me. When I get my 6800 at Christmas I will play through again with everything cranked and see.

Got to go to work, try to concentrate, and then rush home to dive in again.

I just got the machine gun too and finally figured out how to get out of the canal. What a freaking awesome game. It kind of creeped me out last night and I'm not even to the creepy part yet. Those blades are insane though.

I got to a point where I couldn't figure out how to move on but I can't think what it looked like so I really can't ask. I'll try again during my lunch break today.

Finally got it up and running last night, and for those with trouble on the install here's how I did it. I had it crap out on me on disc 4 then I swapped that game with another and had it crap out on disc 2 with those same "missing file X in hl2.cab file." Worst. Install. Ever.

I completely uninstalled Steam, deleted the Valve folder I had created for it, opened my registry editor then deleted all keys with Valve in them, rebooted and started the install again. This time I crossed my fingers and prayed, and it worked. I haven't had this much trouble with an install since having to manually allocate memory to play Tie Fighter back in the day. Valve and VUG should both be ashamed of themselves for this, as it is utter insanity. There is no way in hell that something like this DIDN'T happen to a Q&A tester's machine. Way too many people are having this problem for it to be isolated to just Farley, Vinda-Lou and myself.

ANYWAY, once I got the game working, it's beautiful. I stared in awe for a few minutes just looking at two guys who themselves were looking at Combine troops standing outside a building. Just watching their facial tics and they way they were concerned was just incredible.

Then there is the fact that I've been on the run ever since. Falling into the canal with Combine troops kicking flaming barrels at me blew me away. Then a barrel went off right next to my head and the sound went out and was replaced by ringing. I love it!

As I suspected, there is a heck of a game buried here, but damn that install is one of the worst things I've seen in 15+ years of gaming. I'm planning on having a lot more fun tonight when I get home.

I just got the machine gun too and finally figured out how to get out of the canal. What a freaking awesome game. It kind of creeped me out last night and I'm not even to the creepy part yet. Those blades are insane though.

I got to a point where I couldn't figure out how to move on but I can't think what it looked like so I really can't ask. I'll try again during my lunch break today.

Yeah, the 'manhacks' are wicked! This game is so freaking cool, and really makes me feel like I'm an Orwellian '1984' type of world. Someone else mentioned once the ride starts up, this thing doesn't let you go, and keeps the pressure on you. So far, I've found that to be the case. Very intense stuff.

I have found myself asking WTF do I do now, several times, but I now realize they want you to figure it out. It's not always obvious, and you have to think.

After 2 hours, this is one of the most impressive games I've ever seen. Aw hell, it's THE most impressive game I've ever seen, so far. (but I love FPS', so that's just my .02)

do you have the standard retail version? That problem you describe has been documented and acknowledged by VU, and has to to with installing and NOT selecting Counterstrike Source to be installed as well. It's a bug.

So if any others encounter the missing cab file error, just select CS:S to be installed too, and that should fix it.

Well I had planned to play a few minutes after downloading Tuesday morning, but I ended up playing for four hours. Then I took Tuesday off and played all day. Man... it just keeps getting better.

I'm about 12 hours in, and I don't want to spoil anything, but I just want to say that your first "soldiers" kick ass. They have gone from my "hate list" to my "badass list" in two seconds.

Also, I think the story in the beginning is intentionally vague. I think it's part of the story that Gordon just wakes up and everyone just takes for granted that he knows what is going on.

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And when he had failed to find these boons in things whose laws are known and measurable, they told him he lacked imagination, and was immature because he preferred dream-illusions to the illusions of our physical creation

do you have the standard retail version? That problem you describe has been documented and acknowledged by VU, and has to to with installing and NOT selecting Counterstrike Source to be installed as well. It's a bug.

So if any others encounter the missing cab file error, just select CS:S to be installed too, and that should fix it.

I have to disagree with that assessment because both times I DID select CS:S to be installed. When the option pops up on what I want to select for install, by default both options are selected. I then double and triple check this to make sure, but the only options I have are to leave it the way it is or to opt not to install the program. Since I made sure that both were going to be installed, then VUG's explanation doesn't hold water in my case.

Well I had planned to play a few minutes after downloading Tuesday morning, but I ended up playing for four hours. Then I took Tuesday off and played all day. Man... it just keeps getting better.

I'm about 12 hours in, and I don't want to spoil anything, but I just want to say that your first "soldiers" kick ass. They have gone from my "hate list" to my "badass list" in two seconds.

Also, I think the story in the beginning is intentionally vague. I think it's part of the story that Gordon just wakes up and everyone just takes for granted that he knows what is going on.

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As regards the "soldiers", from previews I thought it was kind of a gimmick. Then I actually used them....HAHAHA. Chapter 8 is my favorite chapter by far! I felt like Kevin Bacon! My dreams have come true!

I love the noise the combine troops make when killed...that high-pitched whine/tone that I assume is coming from their breaking/dying suit. Little touches like that really add to the atmosphere. I can just picture the developers trying out sounds and coming up with that and it's cool that they had the insight to realize how well it would work, instead of a generic grunt or scream that any other shooter would use. A great example of the taste Valve seems to possess for this genre.

The original Half Life was my favorite game of all time. I had fears that Valve couldn't come through with a worthy successor, but happily I have a new king of my gaming universe. I stayed home to play yesterday and ended up playing just about all day. I am just blown away by the quality and beauty of the game. The pacing is well measured and the action visceral and fun. The choice of a Orwellian Soviet style City 17 and how they realized it as a setting is genius. All of the little details in the textures and models are astounding in how they support the overall feeling of a level. The oppressiveness and squalor of City 17 is apparent everywhere you go. I am in Nova Prospekt, and I can't wait to finish and go through it again. Though the game is somewhat linear, it still feels like different areas can be approached in different ways (a lot like Far Cry - which was totally open ended in this respect.)

My only wish is for old school multplayer to be added ala HL1 using the new engine and weapons. Gravity gun only matches. explosive barrels and saw blades. hehehe. Of course Team Fotress 2 in this engine wouldn't bother me either. :wink:

The load times seem to take a lot less time in the latter chapters (4-9) for me. Although I never had to much of a problem with load times being mroe than 15 seconds. I don't have that great of a PC (XP 2800+ 1 gig ram, Raedon 9700 128mb) but I think my 1 gig of ram helps. My harddrive is not SATA so my load times should take longer if you have the same amount of ram.

The load times seem to take a lot less time in the latter chapters (4-9) for me. Although I never had to much of a problem with load times being mroe than 15 seconds. I don't have that great of a PC (XP 2800+ 1 gig ram, Raedon 9700 128mb) but I think my 1 gig of ram helps. My harddrive is not SATA so my load times should take longer if you have the same amount of ram.

Same here, 15 seconds max, and I'm not at all bothered by them. I wouldn't have thought it different than any other game, except for the people talking about it here.